Rays’ Ciuffo Ready To Put The Past In The Past
PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA.—With catcher Justin O’Conner sidelined due to a herniated disc, Nick Ciuffo got to walk down the hall from the minor league side of the Rays’ facility to lend a hand during the first days of camp.
“It’s always fun when you get to come over—it’s kind of like the winter development camp where you get a little taste of what you have to look forward to,’’ Ciuffo said.
“I call those doors the doors to Narnia. … When you cross those doors you go into Narnia and you kind of go into a fairytale land because of how nice it is over here.’’
Ciuffo, 21, hopes he isn’t that far away from being a regular. Though the Rays’ No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft has yet to get past low Class A, he is confident he is—finally—on the right track.
“You can look at the numbers and be like, well, he hasn’t done anything,’’ Ciuffo said. “But I think if you look especially about the halfway point when I was in Bowling Green (last season), I’ve really started to figure things out.
“I’ve been working with Chad Mottola a lot and Dan DeMent and all the hitting coaches we have. I think I’m really close to kind of tapping into the hitter I’m going to be for the next five years or 10 years or whatever it’s going to be.’’
Ciuffo was making more progress during the winter, playing for the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League, hitting .259 with three homers and nine RBIs in 22 games before a being sidelined with a hairline fracture in his right index finger as the result of a foul tip.
Though he missed the chance to be part of the Bandits’ championship as well as the accompanying experiences, he got to come home and be rested for the start of the season.
Ciuffo feels he has improved each season, both at and behind the plate.
“Obviously defense has been my No. 1 priority since I’ve been in the organization and (catching instructor) Paul Hoover does a great job,’’ he said. “I’ve been so happy with the way things have gone since Day One. I’ve gotten light years better than I was when I first got here.’’
COOL RAYS
• O’Conner isn’t expected to be back in time to participate in major league camp. He said his back flared up during the 16-hour drive from Indiana to Florida before spring training.
• A long-discussed trip to Cuba for a late-March exhibition was made official with plans for the Rays to face the Cuban National Team on March 22 in Havana.
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